


let me fall for you...

by startswithhope



Category: Schitt's Creek
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, Autumn, Falling In Love, Light Angst, M/M, Recreational Drug Use, lake house in autumn, roasting marshmallows, somewhat canon compliant
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-02
Updated: 2019-09-02
Packaged: 2020-09-30 17:00:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,297
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20450510
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/startswithhope/pseuds/startswithhope
Summary: When Stevie drags David to a friend's lake house in the early fall, he doesn't imagine it will be anything more than an annoyance with too many bugs. But then he meets Patrick, who helps change the course of the trip and if David doesn't find a way to mess it all up, maybe the course of his entire life.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This fic has four chapters and a short epilogue that I will be posting daily, so you won't have long to wait for the next installment. Fall is my happy place and I couldn't resist writing a new version of these two falling in love surrounded by fall leaves, campfires and autumn sunrises. I hope you enjoy!

The deep blue begins to take on a tawny glow, tiny ripples on the lake reflecting the first glimpses of the sun as it slowly crests the horizon. David can’t pinpoint an exact reason why, but his chest has grown tight and emotions he’s gotten good at holding back are bubbling entirely too close to the surface. If anyone had told him that a sunrise would ever bring him to tears, he’d have rolled his eyes and dismissed the idea with a scoff. But here he is, wrapped in a crocheted blanket, curled up on an Adirondack chair almost welcoming this emotional release. It’s been a challenging couple of years in Schitt’s Creek, and even with many hours of little to do, he’s rarely had a moment of this kind of solitude.

He used to hate being alone. Filling his world with people, regardless of their care or interest, always seemed better than the alternative. But after sharing an adjoining motel room with his family as long as he has, it’s slowly dawned on him that what he’d been craving was something different. He’d wanted to be seen. Loved. And as much as they drive him crazy, his family has finally become a place where his heart feels safe. And Stevie, she’s shown him that the word friend doesn’t have to come with conditions or perks, but can just be a person that gets you, sees you, even your darkest spots, but loves you anyway. So now, in this moment, where it feels like he’s the only person in the whole world, it doesn’t feel scary. Not anymore. 

There are other people here, though. Up the dock and back up the hill, there’s a lake house full of couples, all sleeping in various bedrooms or tucked into plush couches. Stevie had brought him here, much to his despair, begging him to please just suck it up and be her plus one. A few of her friends from high school had booked this place and they’d invited enough people from their various friend circles to help pay the rental fees, hence how he’s found himself at some random lake in the early fall with a bunch of strangers. It had been an anxiety filled two days before he’d finally felt relaxed enough to enjoy himself, but now, awake much earlier than you’d ever catch him out of bed back at home, he’s feeling like this trip might have been exactly what he needed. 

The soft thud of footsteps has him looking over his shoulder and he sees someone walking towards him down the long dock. It’s Patrick, the boyfriend of the cute redhead. Patrick, the guy with the disarming smile and eyes the color of honey whiskey you just want to savor in small sips. Patrick, who’s taken, and straight, and not David’s type. Not even a little. So why is David suddenly embarrassed that he’s got serious bedhead and is probably in need of under eye cream. Curling a bit tighter into his blanket, David takes a deep breath and smiles behind the fabric, feeling a bit like a teenager who’s about to see his crush. But it’s harmless, so he just lets himself feel it.

“I hope I’m not disturbing you?” There’s a roughness to Patrick’s voice that David chalks up to the early morning hour, making this moment feel a bit more intimate in a way.

“No, not at all. It’s pretty spectacular, huh?”

Patrick has walked to the edge of the dock and is looking out onto the water, his blue flannel sleep pants ruffling in the morning breeze as he takes a sip of something steaming hot in his mug. “Mmmhmm, I told myself I had to get out here for this at least once before we left.” 

_ We _. Right, he’s part of a we. David moves his gaze from Patrick back to the sunrise, letting silence fall between them as he watches a bird take flight from a distant tree. Its wings flap with purpose as it rises high into the sky, eventually finding the wind to let it glide, confident in the forces of nature to take it where it needs to go. He wonders what it’s like to just know like that? Watching the bird until it’s soared out of sight, David settles back into his chair and looks over to find Patrick smiling at him. 

“What?” David smiles back, curious as Patrick quickly averts his eyes and moves to the chair next to David’s to sit. 

“Nothing, you...” Patrick pauses and takes a sip of his drink. “You just seemed a bit far away and I...I don’t know. Sorry, I think I’m not quite awake yet.” Patrick’s gaze falls back out onto the lake and David swears he sees a bit of a blush coloring his cheeks, but he looks away, too, sensing something with Patrick he can’t quite put his finger on. There seems to be a lot going on in Patrick’s head, like he’s trying to figure out a puzzle. But David admits that perhaps he’s projecting and maybe Patrick’s just a normal guy, with normal thoughts and a perfectly normal life. And yeah, a perfectly normal girlfriend.

“Are you and...sorry, I forgot your girlfriend’s name, are you two heading out this morning?”

Patrick nods in reply, his lips turning down a bit as he shifts his head to look off into the forest of trees on his right. “Rachel...yeah, we’re heading home when she wakes up.” He falls quiet then, focus seemingly somewhere else, farther away than the tops of the trees or the tips of the mountains in the distance. David sees his hand that’s curled around the arm of the chair clenching the wood, the skin over his knuckles pulled tight with obvious tension. He doesn’t know Patrick well enough to ask him if he’s okay, but he has an idea of how he can probably still be helpful. Standing, he gathers his blanket over his arms so it doesn’t snag on the knotted wood of the dock, catching Patrick’s gaze as he looks back over.

“I’m gonna head inside and shower. Enjoy the last few minutes of solitude before the rest of the house wakes up.”

The smile Patrick gives him is so warm that David feels his insides melt a little, so he forces himself to move before he turns into a puddle at this man’s feet. He’s only gotten a few steps away when he hears Patrick speak again.

“It was nice to meet you, David.”

“Nice meeting you, too, Patrick.”

Later, with his seat pushed all the way back so he can stretch out his legs in Stevie’s small car, David watches the early autumn colored trees fade back into long stretches of green fields and dirt roads, worn billboards hand painted with advertisements for local farmer’s markets and consignment shops. It’s a far cry from the New York City skyline he’d once called home, but he’d finally realized there hadn’t been much home to speak of back there anyway.

“So, do you still hate me for dragging you on this trip?” Stevie asks from the driver’s seat, her long dark hair flapping in the breeze from the open window. 

“Hate is a very strong word. I think I’ve settled on mildly annoyed.” He smiles into his hand as he turns and looks back out his window, hoping she doesn’t notice. 

“Ah, I see. And your crush on Patrick, how mild is that exactly?”

David schools his expression to one of indifference before turning back to Stevie, unsurprised to see her eyes are off the road and are boring into his with a knowing look. 

“I have no idea what you’re talking about. And will you please keep your eyes on the road? I’ve spent more time than I care to in Amish country for us to get into an accident out here.”

It takes Stevie entirely too long to switch her attention back to her driving, enough time to have David’s anxiety begin to bubble up along with his annoyance at her perceptiveness. But it’s not like he actually has a crush on Patrick, not in any tangible way. It’s more of the idea of him that’s appealing. That there are nice, sweet guys like that out there somewhere, who aren’t judgmental when you get a bit dramatic over the perfect way to roast marshmallows and who offer you their bug spray when they see you on the verge of a freak out over the flying monstrosities swirling around the deck lights. 

“I like this for you,” Stevie prods, smile mischievous as she taps her fingers on the gear shift.

“You like what? A straight guy with a gorgeous red-headed girlfriend? I think you ate too many mushrooms with that cousin of yours you hooked up with.”

“Jimmy is not my cousin, David, that’s disgusting. He used to be married to my cousin, or maybe they just had a kid together, I can’t remember.” She stops to think about it, but then just shrugs and continues carrying on. “I just think you and Patrick seemed to really get along. And for someone as sexually adventurous as you are, you’ve constructed a pretty straight box for Patrick, who you barely know.”

“Fair point.” David really shouldn’t make assumptions, but that doesn’t change the other issue at hand. “But he’s still taken. And you know my stance on throuples, so, can we please talk about something else? 

The reminder of their embarrassing relationship almost faux-pas is enough to have Stevie oblige and they spend the rest of the trip home singing along to David’s Mariah Carey playlist on his phone. Stevie has a surprisingly okay singing voice, he realizes, but he still takes the high notes on “Dreamlover”.

_   
I want a lover who knows me _

_ Who understands how I feel inside _

_ Someone to comfort and hold me _

_ Through the long lonely nights _

_ 'Till the dawn _

_ Why don't you take me away _

* * *

“Oh, I heard they got engaged. They’re probably too busy with wedding planning to come this year.”

David actively feels his heart sink in his chest. All of the unhealthy anticipation he’d been unable to quell as the lake house got closer in the car seeps out of his body in a rush, replaced by mild nausea and the beginnings of a headache. He can feel Stevie’s eyes on him, but he doesn’t look her way, instead grabbing his bag so he can disappear for a minute or two into the basement bedroom they slept in last time. 

Patrick is engaged. That’s great. It’s really...great, for him...and Rachel. It shouldn’t matter really. He hasn’t spoken to Patrick since last fall, that early morning conversation the last words shared between them before the trip was over and everyone had headed their separate ways. But that hasn’t stopped David from thinking about him, entirely too often. When he’d helped Wendy get the windfall for The Blouse Barn, he’d imagined Patrick being proud of him, smiling excitedly and maybe even giving him a hug. And as he’s put pen to paper with plans for his store, he’s wished for Patrick’s number, wondering if he’d have the nerve to text him with business questions or thoughts on how to fill out the endless stacks of forms. 

David had admittedly conjured up a pretty steady fantasy life where Patrick was concerned, so maybe it’s all for the best that he just let that bubble burst. He won’t have time for much anyway as soon as the keys for the store are in his hands and he’ll have to make his more tangible dreams a reality. This unhelpful fantasizing about Patrick, it’s time to let that go. He’s not an option anymore, not that he ever really was.

Stevie finds him out on the dock in his chair, glass and bottle of red at his feet, his blanket tucked behind his head like a pillow. She doesn’t say anything at first, instead opting for stealing his wine as she tucks her legs in and looks out at the some of the other house guests floating on inner tubes in the middle of the lake. Their laughter dissipates thanks to the expansiveness of nature, making it bearable and not too disruptive to David’s need for some peace. There’s more leaves floating atop the water this year, yellow and orange spots like colorful paper doll dresses discarded by a petulant child. He remembers playing with Alexis’ paper dolls as a kid, always seeking his mother’s approval after putting together a stylish outfit, usually something he’d created from scraps of out-of-fashion designer clothes instead of the boring paper options provided in the box. It should be of no surprise now that creating beauty is where he excels, the cost of the goods aside. But that’s making him think of Patrick again, and how helpful he could be with budgeting, so he closes his eyes and does his best to shoo those thoughts away.

“So, apparently, Jimmy is my cousin, third cousin actually. I somehow got that wrong, so if you see me making out with him again this year, I’m counting on you to make that stop.”

“Just stay away from the mushrooms this time and we can both be spared that indignity.”

“Deal.”

God, he loves Stevie. He honestly doesn’t know if what she’s just said is true, but she obviously knew he needed to laugh and to think about something else, and he just, just really loves her. Opening his eyes, he looks over at her and she’s already smiling at him, reaching the wine glass out so he can take a sip. He’d say the words to her if he was the type of person to do that, so he really hope she knows.

They lounge in their chairs until twilight, bottle of wine long gone and the sun almost completely sunk beneath the horizon. The first of the bugs begin to swarm around their legs and they scramble up the dock, tipsy enough to need each other’s arms to keep themselves steady as they climb the stairs and go in search of the rest of the guests.

* * *

He’s sitting alone at the bonfire on the second night when he sees headlights making their way through the trees, the smoke from the fire and distance to the house making it hard to see who gets out of the sedan that’s pulled into the driveway. Assuming it’s just another friend of someone inside, he goes back to making his s’more, poking a jumbo marshmallow onto his skewer so he can start the long process of slow roasting it in the fire. He likes to take his time, let the whole marshmallow go soft before the outside is allowed to get some much needed char. He gets the graham cracker all set up with half a chocolate bar so it will be ready for his marshmallow the second it’s done.

The rustle of leaves beneath a heavier sounding shoe alerts him to someone approaching, but he doesn’t turn, more concerned with the perfection of his marshmallow than seeing who it is.

“Mind if I join you?”

David turns abruptly at the sound of an all too familiar voice and is rendered speechless when he sees Patrick, standing behind him with his hands stuffed deep in the pockets of his jeans. His smile is wide and just as warm as David remembered it to be and David wills his heart to slow the fuck down so he doesn’t have a panic attack. 

“Uh, I think your marshmallow needs a turn.”

Looking quickly back at the fire, David sees that he’s right. “Fuck, thanks…” Twisting the skewer just so, he gets the other side of the marshmallow facing the flames just in time to avoid a fiery disaster. 

Patrick has moved to stand beside where David is sitting, the smell of his cologne musky, somehow a perfect compliment to the smokiness of the campfire. That thought has David internally smacking himself across the face as it’s entirely ridiculous and he needs to get a few major grips. 

“I remember how you like your marshmallows, just the right amount of char…”

“And gooey in the center,” David finishes, risking a quick smile up at Patrick who’s looking down at him and smiling right back. 

David gestures for Patrick to sit, and he does, leaving maybe a foot of distance between them on the log. Patrick immediately grabs for a marshmallow and David looks back at the flames, turning his skewer clockwise as his mind races in all kinds of varied directions. What’s he doing here? Is Rachel inside? Why did he come out here so quickly after arriving? Is this marshmallow done cooking?

Patrick’s marshmallow joins his in the flames and David takes a steadying breath, reminding himself that everything will be answered in time, and he should just relax. Finally happy with the droopiness of his marshmallow, he leans it just a tad further into the fire to let it catch, quickly pulling it back out as soon as it does so he can blow out the flame. 

“Looks perfect,” Patrick says as David places it right onto the chocolate. It does. David distracts himself by finishing off the s’more with the other graham cracker, taking more time than necessary to get the placement precise. When he finally looks back up, he sees Patrick staring into the flames, his face unreadable without his usual smile. 

“They said you weren’t coming this year,” David ventures, hoping Patrick will take the lead in this conversation so all of the questions rumbling around in his brain don’t start spilling out all at once. 

“Yeah, I wasn’t going to, but...I needed, I don’t know, to relax, so I figured I’d make the trip.”

David is noticing a lot of I’s there, so it seems logical to ask about Rachel.

“And Rachel, is she here, too?”

Patrick’s face visibly deflates and David immediately wishes he could take that question back. 

“No, we...we aren’t together anymore.”

David assumed hearing something like this would make him feel joy, but Patrick looks so broken, he finds himself feeling guilty for ever wishing for anything where Patrick’s concerned. 

“Oh, I’m sorry, I’d heard that you two…”

“Were engaged. Yeah. I called that off a few months ago. Sorry, you don’t need to hear all of is. I’ve just, I guess, I haven’t really talked to anyone about it until now.”

They really don’t know each other, but David needs to find a way to bring Patrick some comfort, so tentatively, he reaches out, letting his hand rest on Patrick’s wrist so he can give it a gentle squeeze. Patrick’s head tilts down and he looks at David’s hand, making David think he should pull back, but then Patrick’s eyes are on his and he’s trying to smile, so David gives his wrist another quick squeeze before letting go.

“You can talk about whatever you need to, I’m happy to listen. But you should probably rescue your marshmallow before you lose it completely to the fire.”

Patrick’s eyes shift forward and he’s quickly pulling his skewer in, blowing on his engulfed marshmallow until all that’s left is a lot of char. 

“Good thing I like mine well done,” he chuckles, taking the graham crackers and chocolate from David so he can construct his s’more. David takes this moment to take a bite of his, assured that the chocolate will be adequately melted at this point, and honestly, in need of some stress sugar to calm his nerves after all that’s happened over these past few minutes. He audibly groans as the gooey chocolate hits his tongue, the hot marshmallow sticking to the corners of his lips.

Patrick’s gone quiet beside him and David looks over, pulse quickening when he catches Patrick licking his lips as he stares right at David’s mouth. Patrick looks away immediately, his focus shifting back to his own s’more now a big gooey mess in his hand. David’s been checked out before, so he’s pretty sure he didn’t imagine the flicker of interest on Patrick’s face just then, but he could have just been reacting to the s’more, which David has to admit, is rather delicious. Plus, he’s actively choosing to not add meaning to every interaction he has with Patrick on this trip. He has a feeling that it's going to be the only way he’ll be getting through this with his heart intact. 

“There you are! Oh…” Stevie rounds the corner, flannel shirt flapping open over her bathing suit, apparently having just come from the lake. “Hi Patrick, I didn’t know you were here?”

“Hi Stevie, yeah, just arrived. Isn’t it a bit late for a swim?”

“I fell asleep on my inner tube and no one thought to wake me up,” Stevie replies, voice accusatory as she looks right at David.

“How was I supposed to know you were still out there? This is a big house. I thought you were just off getting high with your cousin again.” 

Stevie stalks closer and David leans away, closer to Patrick, unsure as to what Stevie will do as retaliation for him bringing that up. As soon as she’s close, she snatches David’s perfect s’more from his fingers and brings it to her mouth where her tongue is now out, and precedes to lick the marshmallow off all four corners. When she’s done, she holds it out as if to give it back, but David visibly shudders. 

“You’re disgusting.”

“This is delicious,” Stevie replies, plopping down on the log opposite them to finish the rest of the s’more.

Patrick is not doing a good job at all at stifling his laugh and David shoots him an annoyed glare. He responds with what looks like an attempt at a wink, but it’s a bit hard to discern. David grabs the bag of marshmallows, huffing dramatically as he pierces one with his skewer. 

“Can you toast two at a time? I’d love another one if…”

Lifting his free hand, David makes a mouth closing motion with his fingers as he declares, “We’re done with you,” at Stevie, who just smiles innocently as she takes another big bite of David’s s’more.

Eventually, Patrick goes inside to grab them some drinks, emerging with his can of bug spray and a bottle of red. He didn’t have enough hands for glasses, so they pass the bottle, David stifling his usual complaint about not sharing beverages after Patrick’s fingers brushed his as he took the bottle for a sip. They never get a chance to talk more about Patrick’s breakup, but the smile on Patrick’s face as they all laugh at Stevie falling backwards off her log is so open and carefree, David figures Patrick isn’t minding the distraction. As they all stumble off to bed, bellies slightly sick from too many s’mores and a healthy amount of wine, Patrick places a tentative hand on David’s elbow before he can walk down the stairs to the basement. 

“Um, I’m hoping to catch the sunrise tomorrow if you have any interest in joining me?” 

David doesn’t even pause to calculate how few hours of sleep that would mean he’ll be getting, agreeing immediately, cataloging the smile Patrick gives him in that tiny dreamcatcher he’d vowed earlier in the night to keep stashed away.


	2. Chapter 2

There’s a steaming mug of coffee waiting for him on the arm of his chair the next morning and that alone is enough to make David dangerously susceptible to falling hopelessly in love. The shy smile Patrick gives him as David thanks him for it, that just makes David’s belly feel like a spin cycle as unwelcome fantastical notions mix up with his determination to not make this into something it’s not. Patrick is just a really friendly, nice guy. Who obviously likes David, that much is clear, but David needs to not mistake friendship and attraction. He’s been quite bad about that in the past and doesn’t want to make that mistake again.

“Did you get much sleep?” he asks Patrick as he tucks the edge of his blanket under his thighs.

“A bit. There was only the small leather couch in the front room left, but I made do.” 

David takes a sip of his coffee, shocked to taste a hint of cocoa powder as it hits his tongue. His eyes shift to Patrick, who seems to be smiling against the rim of his own mug of tea.

“How did you know how I like my coffee?”

Patrick just shrugs, eyes full of his usual warmth as he meets David’s gaze. “I pay attention.” He’s looking away entirely too quickly and David curses his inability to read minds. Patrick is quite the conundrum. 

They fall quiet as the sunrise takes their attention, this morning’s dense fog making the moment feel a bit dreamlike. There are small waves lapping the pilings, the rowboat tied to the side of the dock creaking against the wood like a metronome. It’s not as calm as he’d remembered from last year, making him wonder if…

“I think a storm might be headed our way.” 

“I was just thinking the same thing,” David agrees, somehow unsurprised to hear Patrick voice his own thoughts aloud. 

A sudden gust of wind rustles the trees framing the lake, sending a handful of leaves into the air, only to quickly lose steam and drop the leaves into the water at their feet. One leaf lands on Patrick’s foot, crimson tipped ochre bright against the camel color of his slippers. He leans down and picks it up, twirling it between his fingers for a moment before setting it in his lap as if he plans to keep it. David has saved flowers before, pressing them between the pages of his mother’s old scripts or Vogue magazines, but they’d usually been from important moments, times he thought needed to be remembered. He has to wonder what about now might be of importance to Patrick?

“I heard you bought a store back in Schitt’s Creek. How’s that going?” 

Shocked to learn that Patrick knows this, David flounders for a moment thinking of how to respond.

“Um...leased, I leased a store. But it’s good. Or it will be. It’s not really a thing yet.”

“That’s a pretty big deal. What do you plan to do with it?” Patrick’s eyes are sparkling and his smile is wide, conveying actual interest and genuine excitement, which David can’t help but soak up like a sponge. He’ll take all the encouragement he can get for this passion project of his. And yes, this is a bit of his dream fulfillment coming to life, talking business with Patrick, and he isn’t about to pass this moment up.

The raindrop that smacks him right between the eyes is like a personal attack, careening him unceremoniously right back to earth. He squeals, which is embarrassing, but he’s just not ready for Patrick to see him with his hair flattened by rain. Patrick laughs, but follows David as he power walks down the dock and back towards the house, Patrick’s hands occasionally pushing into the small of David’s back to urge him faster as the drops of rain accelerate into a steady shower. By the time they are inside the door of the covered back deck, Patrick is more than a little damp and the blanket David had used to cover his head is dripping on the wood.

Patrick trades David his mug for the blanket, quickly tossing it over the clothes drying rack littered with bathing suits and towels. David notices that Patrick still has the leaf, stem tucked tight between his fingers. He wants to ask, but he won’t. 

“I’d still love to hear about your store, if you want to…”

“Yes! I mean, that would be great.” David can feel the tips of his ears burning with an uncontrollable blush at his own eagerness, and Patrick’s sweet as cotton candy smile, it really isn’t helping.

“Great, uh, let me just go dry off and I can come downstairs?”

David nods and follows Patrick inside, watching him disappear around the corner as David leans his hip against the sink. He’s still standing there, lost in his own thoughts when Stevie appears, hair mussed from sleep. 

“Why do you have two mugs?” 

Shaking himself back to the present, he drops the mugs into the sink, preparing himself for the inevitable reaction Stevie will have when he tells her who he’s spent the morning with. 

“If you must know, Patrick and I watched the sunrise together.” Yeah, he definitely just made that sound like something it wasn’t, but he can’t help it, he enjoys being performative sometimes. 

Stevie’s jaw has dropped slightly and she’s looking at him quizzically over her shoulder from where she’d opened the cabinet in search of a mug for herself. 

“What?” He knows he’s doing a terrible job of holding in his smile, but he can’t help it. 

Stevie just shakes her head and grabs a mug, turning her back to David as she pours herself a generous amount of coffee. “I told you so.”

“What did you tell me, exactly?”

“Nothing that you don’t already know…” 

She doesn’t even turn back to look at him as she pushes the door open to the back deck and sits down in one of the lounge chairs to drink her coffee. The rain is pelting the mesh screen, but she just props her feet up on the railing and leans her head back, probably only a few minutes away from falling back asleep. She doesn’t seem to care, or notice, that David’s just standing there in the kitchen staring at her with wide eyes.

What does he know? Nothing really? He can’t trust what he knows, or thinks he knows, or wishes to know. There’s only so many times a man can get burned before he stops walking headfirst into unknown fires. And that’s what Patrick is. An unknown. And David is already perilously close to being singed. 

That knowledge doesn’t stop him from scrambling to the basement bathroom to do a quick check of his hair. And if he changes into the jeans he packed that make his ass look best, that’s just to give him confidence, not for any other reason. 

* * *

David has never let anyone write in his journal before, but when Patrick asked if he could use it for a minute to crunch some numbers, he’d just passed it over, feeling a certain kind of way as Patrick leaned over and began to scribble on the next blank page. An awareness of something is prickling beneath his skin, watching Patrick’s fingers move, his forehead furrowed slightly as he concentrates on whatever math problem he’s attempting to work out.

“I think you might need more start up money, David,” he says as he looks up, his smile a bit wary as he meets David’s eyes. 

“Oh, really? Where can I get that? The wells I used to be able to dip into are long passed dry.”

Patrick chuckles softly at that, leaning back against the couch as he grabs for his phone from his pocket.

“I bet there are grants you can apply for. Let me email myself a reminder to check tomorrow night when I’m back home. I should get your number so I can reach out if I find anything.”

That was either the smoothest ask for his number that David has ever heard, or a completely innocuous request solely for business purposes, he can’t honestly tell. Stevie’s words from earlier begin to creep back in though and he feels a tiny pang of hope for the former. He gives Patrick his number and his email, the one he’d set up for the store.

“You should feel very honored, Patrick, you’re the first person I’ve given that to.”

“I shall cherish this moment forever, David.” The look Patrick gives him is so earnest, David feels his breath catch slightly in his throat. But a second later, they hear footsteps on the stairs and the moment is lost.

“You two decent?” Stevie jokes as her head comes into view from the stairs, expression full of mischief.

“Shut up, Stevie,” David snaps, looking quickly over at Patrick and seeing an obvious blush pinking his cheeks. He’s also shuffling a bit in his seat, one hand tugging at the hem of his blue henley as he looks down at David’s journal still in his lap. 

“What? You’ve been down here for hours. Who knows what you might…”

“I’ve been going over David’s plan for his store,” Patrick interrupts, “It’s such a great concept.”

“I know, he’s walked me through it so many times I could probably run the place myself at this point.”

“Can we help you with something?” 

David feigns exasperation, but is secretly happy to have Stevie’s presence, curious to see if Patrick’s behavior will change now that they aren’t alone anymore. He’s been attentive and enthusiastic as David laid out his plans for Rose Apothecary, even helpful as he’d made some suggestions on tracking inventory and vendor contracts David never would have thought of. But every once in a while, Patrick would lean in closer than perhaps absolutely necessary, their knees or thighs brushing without the customary reshuffling back into personal spaces. There’s a definite connection happening here, even if it’s still something unable to be defined. 

“The rain stopped and they’ve grilled up some hot dogs and hamburgers. I figured you two might have worked up an appetite down here.” 

She’s walking back up the stairs again when Patrick calls out after her.

“Oh, we definitely have.” 

David’s head snaps at Patrick, shocked to hear him playing along with Stevie with such an obvious innuendo. Patrick just smirks, he actually smirks, before standing and stretching his arms up over his head. From this vantage point, this gives David a clear view of just how above average Patrick’s ass is in his very average quality denim. He really shouldn’t be checking Patrick out like this, but he’s only human and it’s been a long time since he’s had someone to crush on. If Patrick notices David’s wandering eyes, he doesn’t outwardly react as he looks down at where David is still sitting and holds out David’s journal to give it back.

“I really do love the idea for your business, David.”

“Thanks, and you’ve been really helpful. I’m good with the creative stuff, but the business side of this is still really foreign to me.”

Patrick holds out his hand and David is confused for a moment, as a handshake seems pretty formal for the time they’ve just spent together. But then he realizes what’s being offered, so he takes Patrick’s hand in his and feels the strength of Patrick’s arm as he helps David up off the couch. It wasn’t necessary at all, but he’s not complaining about it. His chest bumps into Patrick’s bicep as soon as he’s on his feet and as he tries to steady himself, he ends up nearly chin to chin with Patrick, so close he can feel his breath caressing his cheek. It feels as though the world around him has stopped and all that exists now are the few inches it would take for him to lean forward and test out exactly what is or is not happening here with this man. He’s made the first move in relationships before, so this isn’t uncharted territory, but it feels different this time, more consequential and fraught with outcomes he’s not sure he can control.

“Are you two coming, or what?” Stevie yells from the top of the stairs, prompting Patrick to jump back and drop David’s hand. 

David really needs to have a conversation with his best friend about her horrible timing.

Patrick is already halfway up the stairs when he looks back at David, who is still standing cemented in his spot watching him go.

“Medium rare, right? I’ll start a plate for you.”

Shaking off the cobwebs of the moment lost, David plasters on a smile, shaking his head at this confounding man. How does he remember such a small little detail?

“Yeah, thanks. I’ll be right up.”

* * *

Patrick ventures off to spend time with some of the rest of the group after they eat, his laugh carrying across the lawn as he plays beer pong with the lanky guy David never learned the name of. Stevie is leaning against David’s legs, feet splayed out in the grass as she smokes a joint and absentmindedly plays with a strand of her hair. 

“So, real talk, what’s up with you and Patrick? Something happening there?”

David adjusts his sunglasses and takes a sip of his wine, giving himself a moment or two to formulate an answer that makes sense. Unfortunately, nothing does.

“I honestly don’t know. Guys like that aren’t usually into me, so…”

“Guys like what?”

“Nice guys. Normal, buys his jeans retail, business major, dependable type guys like that.”

Stevie holds up the joint and David leans down to take a drag, tapping his finger on her shoulder when he’s done so she can lower her hand again. 

“Counterpoint. He’s spent almost his entire time here so far with you. He smiles or laughs at everything you say. You can’t say you haven’t noticed...”

David has noticed, but that isn’t making anything clearer.

“Can we talk about something else? This is giving me anxiety.” 

Stevie holds the joint up again, her silent answer for David’s current state of being. He gladly accepts. 

When Patrick eventually finds his way back over, David is lying flat on his back in the grass next to Stevie, crushing dried leaves in his hands and giggling as the remnants fall onto his face like brown snow. Patrick is silhouetted by the deep blue-gray sky of dusk as he looks down at them, the smile on his face still visible in the waning light.

“What’s so funny?” Patrick asks as he nudges David’s upturned knee with his thigh. David doesn’t answer, just smiles and leans his knee further into Patrick’s leg. He’s pleasantly high and feeling good, and he doesn’t want to ruin that by saying something stupid. 

Stevie lifts her hand, holding up the small remnant of their joint in answer to Patrick’s question.

“Ah, I see. Didn’t save any for me?”

David scoffs. “Didn’t take you for someone who’d be interested.” He’s being honest. Patrick’s vibe doesn’t scream “drug user”, even if they are just talking about pot. 

“Hey, I used to gig with a band back home. I’ve smoked a joint or two in my time.”

Stevie sits up and reaches into her pocket for her lighter, holding both it and the joint out to Patrick. “Finish it off. There’s probably a drag or two left.”

Patrick lights the joint and passes the lighter back to Stevie before bringing the joint to his lips. Watching Patrick smoke shouldn’t be a turn on, but it’s so against type that David can’t hold back his body’s reaction. Patrick looks down at him and even though David knows that his sunglasses are hiding his eyes, David locks his gaze with Patrick, inhaling in sync with Patrick’s last drag of the tiny joint. It’s a lot, and David knows it’s not just the THC making him feel this way.

One way or another, he can’t let this night end without one of them making a move, because this dance they’ve both entered into, it’s just tripping David up. 


	3. Chapter 3

“Wake up! You’re missing the best part,” David exclaims, tired of watching one of his favorite movies all by himself.

The pull-out bed they are all piled on shakes as Patrick is jolted awake, but Stevie doesn’t budge, having passed out hours ago at the foot of the mattress.

“Sorry, I forgot how sleepy weed makes me. What did I miss?”

Patrick looks adorably rumpled, complete with fingerprints across his cheek from where he’d fallen asleep on his own hand tucked against the pillow. God, David wants to kiss him. Right now. But it would be an awkward move, with Patrick still lying down and David sitting propped up, he just isn’t smooth enough to figure out those logistics. 

“You had two drags. I think maybe both of us getting up before the sun this morning might be the real culprit.”

Patrick yawns, nodding his head in agreement as he slowly sits up and slides himself back to mirror David’s position against the back of the couch. _ While You Were Sleeping _ is still playing on the TV, but David’s seen it hundreds of times, so watching Patrick seems to be a better use of his time. 

“You’re probably right. Man, that nap was maybe the best sleep I’ve had in weeks.”

David feels a pang of something deep in his chest, remembering for the first time today the moment they’d shared last night at the fire, the pain he’d seen on Patrick’s face when he’d spoken of his break up with Rachel. He’d been so caught up in his own confusing feelings all day that he’d forgotten that Patrick came here to get away from an unhappy situation. 

Picking up the remote, he lowers the volume a bit before looking over at Patrick again.

“I meant what I said last night. If you need to talk about...anything, I’m, well, I’m not sure if I’m a good listener or not, but I can try.”

Patrick chuckles under his breath and smiles up at David, but doesn’t say anything right away. He’s looking at David, but it seems as though his mind might be elsewhere. But then something changes, and his eyes, they’re definitely seeing David. More specifically, David’s lips. 

“I don’t think that’s what I need right now,” Patrick says softly, eyes still locked on David’s mouth.

And that’s enough of an invitation for David to make good on his promise to himself from earlier in the night. He’s making a move.

David leans in, slowly, making sure to give Patrick ample opportunity to pull back if this isn’t something he wants. But he doesn’t. In fact, David sees Patrick’s eyes flicker back down to David’s lips again just seconds before David’s hand is curling around his neck to pull him in for a kiss. Patrick is too still, unmoving at first, but that slowly changes as he releases a short puff of breath against David’s lips. His hand comes up to frame David’s cheek as he kisses David back, his bottom lip so soft and supple David has to hold himself back from sucking it between his teeth. Instead, he pulls back, sensing going much further than this, as appealing as it may be, isn’t the right thing to do. There’s also the fact that Stevie is asleep at their feet to consider. 

Patrick’s eyes are still closed as David leans back, but when they slowly flutter open they are looking at his hand, which he’d dropped from David’s cheek to the mattress between them as soon as David had ended the kiss. Slightly unsure as to what Patrick is feeling, David looks down, too, but his smile can’t be held back. That was a really nice kiss. 

“Thank you,” Patrick says on a near whisper, prompting David to look back up and see those warm brown eyes looking back at him, along with a shy smile. “I don’t think you’d believe me if I told you how long I’ve wondered about doing that, so I’m really glad you made that happen for us.”

David doesn’t really know what to do with that information, as it might be the first time anyone has admitted to any form of pining where he’s concerned. And to hear it from someone like Patrick, it’s a bit of a rush. Who is he kidding, it’s a huge rush.

“Well...you’re welcome, I guess. I wasn’t sure if…”

“Yeah, me neither. But yes, that definitely helped clear a few things up.”

Oh, well, he’s been here before. An experiment. This is less about David and more about what David represents. Okay, it’s not what he was hoping for, but he can make the most of this if he has to. That sensation of his heart clenching in his chest, he can just ignore that. It’s okay. It’s really not, but he only has this last night to get through and then he’ll be heading home tomorrow morning to the real life he has back there. This can just be another in a long list of vacation flirtations that doesn’t have to mean more than a fun distraction for a few days.

Sitting up straighter, he plasters on a smile and pats Patrick’s hand on the mattress. “I’m happy to have been of assistance. Wanna finish the movie?”

Patrick’s mouth falls open slightly, but David has already turned his head back to the TV and is grabbing the remote to turn the volume back up. He’s not sure if Patrick had been hoping to keep on experimenting a bit more, but David knows his heart just can’t take it, not tonight.

“David?”

Turning back to look at Patrick, his fake smile falters at the look of confusion on Patrick’s face and David wonders if maybe he’s misread something here. Maybe, there’s a slight possibility that he’s overreacted, just a tiny bit.

Patrick’s reaching for his hand, slightly calloused fingertips urging David to turn his palm, which he does, his heart unclenching a bit as Patrick weaves his fingers between David’s and squeezes, maybe a little too hard. When Patrick pulls their joined hands onto his lap, David lets out a long sigh, the armor he’d just constructed loosening a bit as he watches Patrick stare down at their hands. His thumb is moving up and down over David’s skin, each pass making David’s eyes go a bit unfocused at the sweet, gentle touch. 

When Patrick looks up, there’s a determined look in his eyes, and David wonders what’s going on there, but senses some reevaluation of his current situation might be warranted. 

“There’s a lot I think I need to say, but can we talk tomorrow?” Patrick asks, voice much softer than the seriousness of his expression. But his grip on David’s hand tightens and his lips are finally curling back into a smile and David feels his resolve begin to crumble like autumn leaves beneath his feet.

“Sure...but can we skip the sunrise this time? I’m not usually much of a morning person.”

He knows he’s grinning like an idiot now, but he can’t hold it back, especially seeing how it changes Patrick’s face back to something less stressed, less conflicted. Patrick even leans in and gives David a quick kiss on the cheek, which has David’s entire face burning like the previous night’s bonfire. When Patrick moves to get off the bed, David tries to pull him back with their still clasped hands, but Patrick just laughs and shakes his head. 

“Goodnight, David.”

Reluctantly, David lets go off Patrick’s hand to let him leave.

“Night, Patrick.”

Patrick’s footsteps have barely faded on the stairs when Stevie lifts her head and gives him an annoyed look from the foot of the bed.

“You really almost fucked that up.”

Tossing his hand in the air in dramatic fashion, David lets out a heavy sigh and pretends to turn his attention back to the movie.

“I know. Shut up.”

* * *

Despite his protestations last night, David is up just after sunrise, too anxious to see Patrick again to sleep. He’s curious to hear where Patrick’s head is at, but knows that no matter where they land, there’s going to be at least one obstacle in their way. They live in different towns. So, whatever, if anything, might be coming of this, David’s already setting low expectations. 

The house is quiet when he steps out of the basement, the early morning light casting shadows on the various sleeping forms strewn about the first floor. The couch Patrick had claimed for himself is empty though, making David assume he must be out on the dock. Grabbing his blanket off the drying rack, he wraps it around his shoulders and makes his way outside. The air outside is that kind of crisp that only happens in the fall, chilly, but not uncomfortably so, tinged with just the slightest hint of smoke from the fire pit. It makes him crave an apple cider donut, mentally adding a reminder to himself to make Stevie stop at one of the roadside stands on their way home to buy a dozen, or two. 

As he gets to dock, he sees the chairs at the water’s edge are both empty, but he walks to the end anyway. Disappointment settles into his gut like lake rocks, heavy and jagged as he looks out onto the water, knowing instinctively that he’s about to be let down. But, he pushes through his building skepticism and pulls his phone from his pocket so he can send Patrick a quick text.

** _David_ ** _ : I’m out on the dock if you’re around. _

He watches to see if those three little dots will appear to show Patrick is writing him back, but his message just sits there, the tiny text displaying “delivered” until the phone turns black due to inactivity. Sitting in his chair, he waits, unsure as to how long he’ll do so, but wanting to give Patrick at least ten or fifteen minutes to respond. 

A half hour goes by. Nothing. 

His message still hasn’t been read and it’s now 8:35 am, early still, but late enough for David to start making assumptions. When he steps back inside, Stevie is laughing with Jimmy at the top of the basement stairs, making David wonder if he needs to remind her of their familial relationship. 

“Hey, have you guys seen Patrick?” he asks with as much nonchalance as he can muster, which must not be much by the eyebrow wiggle Stevie sends his way.

“He left early this morning,” Jimmy replies, “saw him pull out around 7:45 or so I think?”

Oh. Well, that’s...not what David had expected to hear. Disappointment is one thing, avoidance, that’s another thing altogether. So, he just packed up and left, obviously full of regret over everything that had happened the night before. Got it. Check. 

“Good to know. Stevie, you needed to get back to the motel early today, right? We should probably get on the road.”

He doesn’t give her a chance to argue, brushing past her to head downstairs and pack. He needs to get out of here. Stevie, thankfully, is by his side before he’s even unzipped his suitcase, hand squeezing his forearm for a moment before she too begins to gather her things. Neither of them say a word as they load up the car, the crunch of the twig strewn road beneath the tires the only sound until they are back on the long stretch of highway that will take them back home.

His phone rings in his pants pocket, but he doesn’t reach for it. If it’s Patrick, he doesn’t know what he wants to say to him right now. And if it’s not, he doesn’t want to know.

“Wanna talk about it?” Stevie asks, face forward and eyes hidden beneath her dark sunglasses. There’s a small part of David that realizes that she probably feels bad for pushing him towards Patrick as hard as she did, but he’s a bit too caught up in his own emotional turmoil to help her with hers. 

“Not really,” he answers truthfully. But when she reaches over the center console to take his hand, he lets her, the tentative squeeze of her fingers maybe the only thing holding him together as the possibility of Patrick passes him by like the trees, getting more spaced out with each mile they get closer to Schitt’s Creek. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please don't hate me for this cliffhanger. Every romantic comedy needs a little drama. ;)


	4. Chapter 4

He gets the keys to the store the next day. Standing in the empty space of what will one day be Rose Apothecary, he lets himself smile for the first time since getting home the afternoon before. He can’t let this misstep with Patrick derail his whole life, even if it does feel like he left half of his heart back on that empty dock. 

Patrick has called three times and David has ignored him with each ring, pride and self-preservation making it impossible for him to answer. The one voicemail he left just asked for David to please call him back, but offered no explanation and made no apologies. So, David is just letting it go. Or letting _him_ go, if he wants to be more specific about it. His insides feel as gooey as one of his perfectly warmed marshmallows and he just doesn’t have it in him to get that last bit of char.

After an hour and a half, he’s moved the one chair left in the store to about six different locations, counted and measured all of the wall shelving and tried, and failed, to remove the annoying bell from over the front door. He really needs to invest in some tools. Or maybe just see if Mutt is still hanging around that old barn of his and maybe looking for an odd job or two.

He’s in the back room poking at a cobweb with the end of a broom when he hears the jangle of that stupid bell, his desire to not converse with anyone today obviously thwarted. As he steps back up front, he stops short at who he finds standing in the middle of his store.

“Patrick?”

One of his hands is buried deep in his pocket, the other is clutching a few folded papers. His expression is unsure, but he’s smiling, eyes a bit wide as he looks at David and then past him and all around the empty room.

“This is a great space. I can really see your vision taking shape here.”

Why is he talking about the store right now? What is he doing here? These are two questions he should be asking Patrick, but David can’t seem to find his voice.

“So, I called to tell you I was coming, but you didn’t pick up...so I…”

“You left.” David isn’t sure if he meant to actually say that out loud, but if they are going to get anywhere at all, he’s glad he did.

Patrick steps closer, dropping the papers he’s holding on the counter separating them so he can brace his hands on the wood.

“Actually, _ you _ did. I went for a hike and when I came back, you and Stevie were gone.”

“You went for a what?” David’s head is spinning and he isn’t comprehending what Patrick is saying right now.

“A hike. To think about stuff, clear my head. The entrance to the trail was about five miles from the house so I drove there. I thought I’d be be back before you woke up.”

Oh god. David has never felt more stupid in his entire life. Well, that’s probably not true, but this definitely ranks pretty high on a very long list.

“And I’m just making a wild guess here, but your little walk was somewhere that cell reception maybe wasn’t so great?”

“Nonexistent, actually. You’d have hated it.” Patrick’s teasing him, that’s probably a good sign. The fact that he’s standing here, in his store, in Schitt’s Creek, is like a neon billboard screaming at David that he should really be paying closer attention. 

“Okay. So, I’m feeling pretty stupid right now. Miscommunication like this usually only happens in romantic comedies, and as much as I cherish Julia and Reese, I always questioned those plot points as horribly unrealistic.”

Patrick’s head falls back as he laughs and the sound reverberates off the empty walls, filling David’s heart with unfiltered joy and a desire to step forward, out of the safety of the doorway he’s hiding under towards the man on the other side of that counter. But he only makes it a few steps before his need to question things rises back to the top.

“So, what brought you here, exactly?”

The look Patrick gives him at this question is something David can only describe as fond, with an ounce or two of amusement sprinkled in. Patrick picks up the papers he’d dropped on the counter and unfurls them before holding them out for David to take.

“Remember how I said there are probably grants you can apply for to help with start up money? I found a few.”

David takes the papers and looks down at them, but the words on the pages might as well be in Chinese as David’s eyes can’t quite focus, instead looking back at Patrick in hopes of hearing there’s another reason he’s come here. Patrick’s hands are once again in his pockets and he’s rocking back a bit on his heels, but his eyes are on David’s. 

“And I’d like to offer my assistance in filling out the forms and maybe helping out here in the store, if you’d be interested in taking me on as a partner. But there’s something I need to make clear first, since I didn’t get the chance yesterday morning.”

Ah, here we go. Time for Patrick to tell David that he just wants to be friends, or business partners it sounds like. But Patrick is moving now, walking around the counter until he’s right up in David’s space. David doesn’t get a chance to say or do anything, except react, as Patrick lifts his chin and presses a kiss to David’s lips. It’s a quick thing, obviously a testing of the waters, but David lets him know that the water is warm and welcoming, quickly draping his arms over Patrick’s shoulders to keep him close as he angles his head and finds Patrick’s mouth for another kiss. All of his blood is rushing to his face, making him warm and lightheaded as Patrick’s arms circle his waist and his mouth opens just enough for their tongues to brush and David’s breath to leave his body altogether. But who needs air? The kiss goes soft and languid, Patrick’s mouth lush and warm as David sinks in, hands itching to touch, body thrumming where Patrick is pressed close and solid. 

When he has to pull back to take that breath he swore he didn’t need, he sees Patrick’s smile, brighter than the sun as he looks up at him, arms steady around David’s waist. 

“Are you still going to stick around if you don’t get the grant money,” David teases, “cause I won’t be able to pay you without it.”

Patrick’s face turns serious and his hands move to rest at David’s hips. “Oh, I’m gonna get the money.” 

The way he said that, it might just be the hottest thing David has ever heard. And when Patrick backs him up into the door jamb and kisses him again, David can feel just how determined Patrick is to make that declaration come true.


	5. Epilogue...

“Hey, do we have a vendor who does custom glass work?”

David’s hand pauses in the box of bath salts he’s restocking to look over at Patrick at the counter, curious as to why he might be asking about this.

“Mr. Hillard who makes the bottles probably does, why?” 

He has to wait for an answer as the customer who’d been touching every single wedge of cheese in the refrigerator has finally made her choices and is now standing between David and his boyfriend at the counter. Huffing silently, David goes back to his restocking, digging deep for a smile as the woman finally makes her exit. Patrick comes over and rests his hip next to David’s box and David notices he’s holding a book in his hands. It’s one of his business how-to’s, with many earmarked pages and a well-worn spine.

“I’ve got this...” he starts to say, but pauses as he opens the book and pulls something from between the pages. It’s the leaf, the one that had fallen on his foot back on that morning at the lake house, the one David had seen him save, but had completely forgotten about. It’s encased in what looks like wax paper which has helped keep the vibrant colors intact. “I want to see if someone can suspend it in glass or something, so I can put it on my desk in the back.”

David’s heart clenches in his chest at this sentimental man, standing here holding a leaf that to anyone else would probably represent the end of something, as in reality, it’s a leaf that has died. But Patrick has obviously given it another meaning, one David is pretty sure he can figure out. And it’s just the sweetest thing and David, he really needs to kiss him. The box of bath salts is forgotten as David slides into Patrick’s space, carefully setting the leaf and book on the table before taking Patrick’s face in his hands so he can pull him in for a kiss. Patrick melts into it without question, hands splaying wide on David’s back as he likes to do.

It’s been a year since Patrick walked in here with those grant applications, a year that can only be described as the happiest of David’s life. Not only did he get the money, but he stole David’s heart and is showing no signs of ever wanting to give it back. 


End file.
